Tax Director

We Impact Lives Through Purpose-Driven Work in A People First Culture

Ascend Learning, a leading healthcare and learning technology company,is the connection between a powerful portfolio of brands serving students, educators, and employers with outcomes-based, data-driven solutions across the lifecycle of learning.

From testing to certification, Ascend Learning products are used by physicians, emergency medical professionals, nurses, allied health professionals, certified personal trainers, financial advisors, skilled trades professionals and insurance brokers. Headquartered in Burlington, MA, with additional office locations and hybrid and remote workers in cities across the U.S., Ascend Learning was recognized by Newsweek and Plant-A Insights Group as one of America’s 2025 Greatest Workplaces as well as America’s Best Places to work for Mental Well-Being for 2025.

We're always looking for talented, passionate professionals to join us in our mission to help change lives. If this sounds like an environment where you'd thrive, read on to learn more.

The Tax Director will lead Ascend's in-house tax operations across federal and multi-state compliance, tax provision and accounting, and partnership/PE sponsor reporting, partnering with the VP of Tax to execute a co-source transition and stand up sustainable internal processes. This role serves as the day-to-day owner of the relationship with the external tax provider, ensuring quality, timeliness, and cost discipline across retained work streams.

The Tax Director will drive accuracy of interim and annual tax provision, including implementation of One Source, and support ad hoc projects that advance the department's strategic priorities.

This position will work hybrid from our Leawood, KS or Burlington, MA office location.

• Lead the preparation of the quarterly and annual income tax provision in accordance with ASC 740, including calculation of current and deferred tax assets and liabilities, valuation allowances, and tracking of tax attributes and uncertain tax positions.
• Lead the preparation of federal and multistate corporate and partnership income tax work papers, coordinate with external tax advisors to ensure timely and accurate filings, and partner with Finance, Legal, HR, and Operations to ensure tax implications are considered in business decisions.
• Research complex federal and state income tax issues, evaluate tax planning opportunities to minimize the company's effective tax rate, and stay current on changes in tax law and regulatory guidance.
• Prepare federal, state, and effective cash tax forecasts to support FP&A budgeting, cash planning, and quarterly earnings cycles, partnering cross-functionally to gather data and communicate tax impacts.
• Manage relationships with outside tax advisors, consultants, and software vendors; lead special tax projects and initiatives; support acquisitions, restructurings, and new business initiatives; and administer and optimize the company's tax technology stack.
• Lead annual studies for the Federal R&D Credit and capitalization under IRC 174.
• Develop and execute the organization's federal and state tax planning strategy, including entity structure, flow-through optimization, and owner-level tax efficiency.
• Serve as the organization's primary point of contact for federal, state, and local tax authority inquiries and audits, coordinate responses to information requests, and maintain audit-ready documentation for all tax positions.

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• CPA license required; MST or LLM in taxation preferred.
• 12+ years of progressive tax experience, with significant exposure to corporate and partnership income taxation in a public accounting firm and/or corporate tax department.
• Previous in-house corporate tax experience, with strong experience in pass-through and corporate taxation preferred.
• Deep technical knowledge of U.S. federal and multi-state income tax, including corporate and partnership taxation, apportionment, and state estimates/extensions.
• Strong working knowledge of ASC 740 tax provision, including interim period tax accounting, deferred tax assets and liabilities, uncertain tax positions, and valuation allowances.
• Working knowledge of key IRC sections, including Subchapter K (Sections 754 and 743), Section 163(j), Section 179/bonus depreciation (Section 168(k)), and Section 382 preferred.
• Experience preparing tax-basis balance sheets and earnings and profits (E&P) calculations preferred.
• Multi-state tax proficiency, including nexus studies and apportionment.
• Familiarity with transfer pricing fundamentals, including the arm's-length standard and intercompany agreement requirements preferred.
• Experience with M&A transactions, including purchase accounting preferred.
• Proficient with One Source Tax Provision, tax research tools (e.g., Checkpoint, CCH), and advanced Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, Power Query);…